Epistemology of Tafsīr, Ta'wīl, and Hermeneutics: Towards an Integrative Approach

Abstract

The current research comparatively examines the three models tafsīr, ta’wīl, and hermeneutics for understanding/interpreting the Qur’ānic text.. It aims to explore the epistemological structure of tafsīr (interpretation), ta’wīl (explanation of inner meaning), and hermeneutics, dissect the strengths and weaknesses of each, and propose a creative synthesis between these three elements. By using the comparative method, this research found that tafsīr tends to have an objective ethic guided by a linguistic approach (dalālah luġawiyah). On the other hand, ta’wīl tends to prioritize subjective personalities based on an intuitive and rational approach. Meanwhile, hermeneutics prioritizes intersubjectivity using historical, sociological, and psychological approaches. The argument based on the source of knowledge of tafsīr is text, while according to ta’wīl it is the "inner experience". However, the source of knowledge for hermeneutics is the world of the text, author, and the reader. Due to their advantages and disadvantages, this research recommends using an integrated approach for understanding the text (al-Quran). Tafsīr is used to explore external aspects of the text (language). Hermeneutics helps to understand the reader's contemporary situation with all the prejudices, assessments, and traditions surrounding it. At the same time, ta’wīl is necessary to relate the results obtained to the methods of interpretation and hermeneutics. In this case, the task of ta’wīl is to find the "deepest meaning" that connects the objectivity of tafsīr and the subjectivity of hermeneutics. This "deepest meaning" can be a moral idea ʿillat al-ḥukm (ratio legit) or Sharia goals (maqāshid al-syarīʿah).